When it has come to the art of scoring goals this season, it hasn't been something that Manchester United have been able to master all that easily.
The Reds, who will be hoping to put Thursday night's 1-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium behind them when they face West Ham United on Sunday evening, are the lowest scorers currently camped inside the Premier League's top seven. They have scored just 49 league goals this season, which is a far cry from the tally they would have been hoping to achieve.
A quick glance at the league table tells you its own story, confirming that United's current goal difference of just +9 is an anomaly among those in and around them in the standings. For example, Newcastle United, who are directly above the Reds have a goal difference of +34 and Liverpool, just below, have a goal difference of +24.
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United's struggles in front of goal were exposed once again at Brighton, with several good opportunities going begging, particularly in the first half. Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes were all guilty of squandering good chances when they presented themselves.
But it wasn't an issue that would have come as a surprise to anyone. United have regularly failed to make the most of their chances this season, highlighted by their goals tally of just 49.
"I know the problem and we know the problem," defender Luke Shaw told Sky Sports after the defeat at Brighton. "The problem is that we don't score.
"In the first half we had three or four big chances that we should be scoring [from] and I think that has happened a lot of times this season."
A detailed analysis of United's league results this season backs up Shaw's admission. Eleven of their 19 league wins have been achieved by just a one-goal margin, and their biggest margin of victory is 3-0 - a scoreline achieved on just three separate occasions. They have failed to score four or more in a league game all season.
United, for all of their improvements under Erik ten Hag, have failed to blow teams away, regularly relying on their improved defensive standards to seal maximum points. It, of course, only further stresses the importance of the club recruiting a striker this forthcoming summer.
Ten Hag, as has been well-documented in recent months, has pinpointed the addition of a new goal-getter as his main priority ahead of the summer, with Tottenham Hotspur ace Harry Kane understood to be at the very top of his wish list. United desperately need to add a world-class striker to their ranks to solve their goalscoring woes and Kane would be an ideal option.
Last summer, of course, United focused much of their energy on strengthening their midfield options, bringing in both Christian Eriksen and Casemiro. While they were right to prioritise bolstering their midfield after the troubles they faced in that position during the 2021/22 campaign, they, in the eyes of former United captain Gary Neville, should have also chased the addition of a striker, despite, at the time, still having Cristiano Ronaldo on their books alongside Martial.
"We know the areas they absolutely need to actually strengthen," said Neville, speaking in June 2022. "Central midfield is an absolute necessity. An absolute necessity. Manchester United need midfield players.
"They also need a centre-forward. I know Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to stay and he's an absolutely brilliant performer, but they need a centre-forward. Centre-forward is a must."
In Neville's defence, nobody could have foreseen how Ronaldo's situation at Old Trafford would have developed, certainly not at the juncture when the former made the above admission. However, there was a clamour for United to recruit a striker last summer and failure to do so has directly impacted their goalscoring troubles this season.
Martial, despite remaining part of Ten Hag's plans, has not been able to stay fit enough for long enough to get into any sort of rhythm, meaning the goalscoring burden has rested on Rashford's shoulders. Without him, United would be in deep trouble.
Therefore, with the summer transfer window slowly creeping up on us, United must make sure they get the additional goalscorer they desperately need this time around. If Neville felt a striker was a necessity 11 months ago, it is absolutely essential this time around.
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